World Champs Give Injury Updates on Multiple Key Players Ahead of Second Half
The Houston Astros, who ended the first half of the season by losing three of four to the Seattle Mariners, got some great health-related news ahead of the second half of the season.
Both starting pitcher Jose Urquidy and slugger Yordan Alvarez are on the comeback trail.
First, with regards to Alvarez, the following update comes from the Rotowire fantasy baseball portal:
Alvarez (oblique) will start a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sugar Land on Friday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
Alvarez has been working out lately without issue and is ready to test things out in a game setting. The Astros have not revealed how many rehab games the slugger might require, but a return to the major-league roster by early next week would seem possible. Alvarez has been on the shelf since early June with a right oblique strain.
That's huge news for the defending champs, as Alvarez is one of the most intimidating hitters in all of baseball. Prior to going on the injured list, he had already popped 17 homers and driven in 55. He's got a .277 batting average this year and a .388 on-base percentage.
The Astros lineup is truly not the same when he's not in it, and his presence will loom large as they look for a second-half surge.
Texas opens up the second half at 50-41 and 2.0 games back of the Texas Rangers in the American League West.
As for Urquidy, he'll take a little longer to get back, but he's starting his rehab start process:
Urquidy (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sugar Land on Friday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
Urquidy threw live batting practice Sunday without any issues in what was his final hurdle to clear before pitching in a rehab game. The right-hander has been sidelined since early May with shoulder inflammation, so he would figure to require at least a couple rehab outings before rejoining the Astros' rotation.
While Urquidy doesn't have great numbers this year (1-2, 5.20 ERA) and doesn't possess the raw stuff of Framber Valdez, he has been a valued member of the Astros staff for years.
He made his debut in 2019 and owns a lifetime 25-15 record and a career 3.85 ERA.
The Astros won the World Series in 2022 by beating the Phillies in six games. In that World Series, he threw three innings and surrendered no runs.
He also pitched for Team Mexico in the World Baseball Classic this year, helping Mexico advance to the Final Four with the United States, Japan and Cuba.
The Astros will open up the second half on Friday against the Los Angeles Angels. First pitch is scheduled for 9:38 p.m. ET.
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